Theory Tuesdays is a non-academic platform for theoretical discussion founded, organized and coordinated by artist Philip Matesic since 2009. Participants read beforehand then discuss contemporary art, design, literary, cultural and critical theory texts on a weekly basis, with the texts selected and introduced each week by a different person. The platform has operated under this “Each One, Teach One“ philosophy since its conception.

Session 190: On Bullshit by Harry Frankfurt

During this Theory Tuesdays session, the third of nine held at the Kunsthalle Zürich during the Rob Pruitt: The Church exhibition, Leila Peacock selected the book On Bullshit by Harry Frankfurt (Princeton University Press, 2005).

“One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted. Most people are rather confident of their ability to recognize bullshit and to avoid being taken in by it. So the phenomenon has not aroused much deliberate concern. We have no clear understanding of what bullshit is, why there is so much of it, or what functions it serves. And we lack a conscientiously developed appreciation of what it means to us. In other words, as Harry Frankfurt writes, ‘we have no theory.'” -Book Cover